How to Properly Use a Roof Safety Harness?

The Fall Arrest system consists of perfectly engineered components (harness, lanyard and anchor) that are used together to prevent a fall. The gadget suspends the body in air and distributes shock waves throughout the body. This prevents any specific part from bearing more strain than others, thus preventing serious injuries. It can also be used as a fall restraint to limit a worker from reaching a point where he could fall. This system is a serious life savior, but requires you to know its proper use. Nothing can be more wrong than a false sense of safety. So, if you plan on installing a new roof yourself, you need to make proper use of this safety equipment. Let’s find out how:

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You can easily purchase a fall prevention kit online to begin with. There are plenty of tutorials on using a safety harness, but none as precise as this article. The following steps will ensure that every time you wear this equipment, it will save you from falling.

Step 1: Inspect Your Gadget

Before putting the harness on, make sure every buckle, strap or fitting is faultless. If you don’t find any flaw, it’s good for use.

Step 2: Wear the Harness Properly

The easiest way to locate strap areas is by holding the harness from the dorsal D-ring. This will define the positions of the shoulder, chest and leg straps. Insert the legs in the leg straps, pull the shoulder straps over your shoulders and buckle it up with the chest strap. Next, you need to confirm that the straps are not twisted from the back. For this, you’ll need someone’s assistance to take a 360 degree inspection of you and make sure everything is okay.

Step 3: Ensure the Fittings to Perfection

You definitely do not want to slip out of your harness or stop your own blood circulation. Therefore, you have to ensure the straps are buckled neither so tight nor too loose. A common rule of thumb is to slide your open hand inside your leg strap and it should pass. But if you insert a fist in the same way, it shouldn’t pass. This means the strap is fastened perfectly.

Step 4: Choose Proper Length of Lanyard

In this step, you’ll need to calculate your fall height. It is the distance between the place where your anchor is mounted and the ground level. If the length of your lanyard exceeds this height, you may thud straight to the ground instead of being suspended. The lanyard comes in different types; some resemble to a Bungee Cord that has more stretch to it. So, you have to keep these things in account to decide its suitable length.

Step 5: Position the Anchor Properly

The anchor needs a suitable positioning of at least 6 inches away from the roof edges. If it is fixed too close to the edge, the lanyard may swing you hard and you may hit yourself badly. After you’ve completed these steps, all that’s left is to clamp one end of the lanyard with anchor and other with your harness.